Blog 4_Linday Lohan's Chequered Life

Lindsay Lohan's chequered life in the spotlight

    On BBC news, this article talks briefly about the transformation of the innocent child star Lindsay Lohan with a seemingly bright future to the scandalous young woman who has just been released from jail on a $300000 bail. She became a model at age 3 and later starred in the Disney movie The Parent Trap and other hits. In 2004, she become the youngest host of the MTV Awards ceremony. It seemed she had a bright future ahead of her...Then she started hardcore partying, over drinking, drug-dealing. In July 2010, she was jailed for probation violation for 90 days. She was released only a few days ago.
     I'm sure we all know Lindsay Lohan, either as the adorable mischievous little girl in the Parent Trap or the popular girl in Mean Girls. Without a doubt, she's a talented actress and singer. When I first saw her in the Parent Trap, I thought, "Wow she's going to be so successful in the future!" Little did I know, her personal life become messed up and impure. Perhaps she made bad friends who introduced her to drugs and alcohol. Who you hang out with determines who you become, due to peer pressure.
   Another reason may be that the Hollywood life exerts just too much pressure for her. With all the paparazzi spreading rumours and such, celebrities lead a difficult life. They also have to take in a lot of pressure and criticism. We see Britney Spears shaving her head bald, Owen Wilson slashing his wrist, and Heath Ledgers committing suicide. I used to be so jealous of celebrities and how much attention they get, now I have only sympathy for them.

Blog 3_More shooting?

http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/09/19/bikers-fire-tourists-outside-delhi%E2%80%99s-jama-masjid

        Earlier this morning (Sept. 9) in New Delhi, India,  two tourists, supposedly from Taiwan or Korea, were injured as two gunmen riding a mobike started shooting at the tourist bus near the Jama Masjid mosque. The Jama Masjid mosque area is one of the main attractions for tourists in the capital of India. The two injured tourists were immediately sent to a nearby hospital. Doctor Vijay Jumar says that one has a serious injury in his stomach and the other victim is fine. One of the witnesses says the gunmen shot with automatic weapons and shot at least 10 rounds. The police are now launching a manhunt. This event poses a great threat to India because in two weeks, New Delhi will be holding the Commonwealth Games, and the safety of the athletes must be secured. The article reminds us that the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists' spokesmen have issued warning to disrupt the Commonwealth Games.
       This article reminded me of the bus massacre that happened in the Philippines a few weeks ago. I will never tolerate anyone who hurts innocent people because the innocent victims do not deserve it. My friend personally knows one of the victims of the massacre and his father and two sisters are both dead.  My friend's friend is currently recovering from a serious head injury. All their family wanted to do was have a good time travelling in the Philippines, celebrating their academic success. The damage done to the family can never be fixed.  Can't one travel in peace? Now seeing that Taiwanese tourists in India are being victimized, I am even more infuriated and frustrated with the world today. Must we always live in fear? Must we wear bullet-proof jackets and be armed twenty-four seven? 
     In many occasions before this, the Taliban or the al-Qaeda or other Muslim extremists have used violence in order to grasp the world's attention. They want to be noticed so they run planes into buildings or conduct bloody massacres. Nobody is certain who was behind this shooting, but I say with a fair amount of certainly that it's one of the extremist groups, probably protesting against the arrival of the foreigners to attend the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
   

Blog 2_Indian and Pakistani players unite to reach U.S. Open final

Link to Article

    The U.S. Open, which is the fourth and final tennis tournament of the Grand Slam is currently taking place in New York city. Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, an Indian and Pakistani doubles team, lost to the American Bryan twins in the men's doubles finals last Friday, coming in second place. This is an interesting combination because India and Pakistan have been hostile towards each other since 1947. They have fought over three wars over Kashmir and issues of border lines. He would never forget Qureshi says, the sight of so many Indians wearing Pakistani flags and cheering together with Pakistanis.  Back at the Wimbledon, Bopanna and Qureshi wore t-shirts that read "Stop war, Start Tennis." They believe they can do their best to promote peace and ameliorate relations between India and Pakistan."You can't mix politics, religion or culture with sports," Qureshi said. "That's the beauty about it."

      When I heard about the India-Pakistani doubles pair, I had an indescribable feeling of joy because I knew this would be a step forward for the world. As Indians and Pakistans cheered together and for the other country, the hostility between them will subside and they will realize, just like Bopanna and Qureshi, they can work together as friends and accomplish great things. Perhaps before then, Indians and Pakistanis had a stereotypical conception or fear of each other and felt that each other was enemy by birth. However, I believe no matter what race or nationality, people can work together, as long as they trust in each other.

      I absolutely agree with what Qureshi said; the beauty of sports lies in the fact that there there are no borders of nationality or religion. Back in the ancient times, when the Olympics were held, there was a truce and all city-states gathered to participate in a great sports event. Sports is an amazing thing; it's more than just running around or hitting balls, it's about the heart and cooperating together through trust.

Blog 1_Homosexuality?

Family indicted for assaulting, kidnapping gay teenager who posted drag queen photos on Facebook




        As I was browsing nydailynews.com, the terms "gay teenager", "drag queen", "Facebook" caught my eye. The first thought that popped into my mind was "What has Facebook done to ruin somebody's life this time?" Intrigued, I read on. Angel, a19-year-old Arab gay teenager who recently started to work as a drag queen in  local nightclubs began posting cross-dressing photos of him on Facebook. His relatives, claiming to "defend family honor", threatened to kill him if he did not take the photos off the Internet, but he ignored the warning. The first attempt to kidnap Angel was back in May, where they handcuffed and assaulted him in his mother's house. The more severe attack was on August 23rd, where Angel was tear-gased and blindfolded to a relative's house, chained to a window. Fortunately, a friend of his called the police and Angel was saved.
       I could not believe what I had just read. Undoubtedly, homosexuality is still unaccepted by certain more conservative religions, such as extreme Muslims or Catholics. However, I would never imagine family members, namely parents, to threaten to kill their child because of his/her sexuality. Families should be supportive of whatever their family members choose to be, even if they disapprove. Certainly some people hold their values and beliefs adamantly, but choosing to sacrifice one's family member's life because they believe in what is "right" is simply heinous and inhumane. I am Christian myself and I understand all religions have their values and beliefs. However, I do not place my religious values before my family because it was in God's will to put me in this family and they are the ones I should love and tolerate.
     Another point that captivated me was the fact that Angel, like every other teenager, enjoys exposing photos of himself on the Internet, where everyone has access. He wanted to share his life with his friends and relatives. However, this openness got him into trouble and a good beating. This made me remember other circumstances I had read about where teenagers are tagged in photos from hardcore partying with alcohol and the mum sees them and they're grounded, or in graver situations, employees are fired because their boss sees "inappropriate" photos. This makes me wonder, is being more open about one's private life ruining our lives in some ways? Now I'm a little hesitant about posting photos and status on Facebook. Still, I can't help it. Facebook is addictive.